Pelosi: Amend the First Amendment By Terence P. Jeffrey April 19, 2012

(CNSNews.com) - House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on Thursday endorsed a movement announced by other congressional Democrats on Wednesday to ratify an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would allow Congress to regulate political speech when it is engaged in by corporations as opposed to individuals.

The First Amendment says in part: "Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press..."

Television networks, newspapers, publishing houses, movie studios and think tanks, as well as political action committees, are usually organized as, or elements of, corporations.

Pelosi said the Democrats' effort to amend the Constitution is part of a three-pronged strategy that also includes promoting the DISCLOSE Act, which would increase disclosure requirements for organizations running political ads, and reducing the roll of money in campaigns (which some Democrats have said can be done through taxpayer funding of campaigns).

The constitutional amendment the Democrats seek would reverse the Supreme Courts 2009 decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. In that decision the court said that the First Amendment protects a right of free speech for corporations as well as for individuals, and that corporations (including those that produce newspapers, films and books) have a right to speak about politicians and their records just as individuals do.

We have a clear agenda in this regard: Disclose, reform the system reducing the roll of money in campaigns, and amend the Constitution to rid it of this ability for special interests to use secret, unlimited, huge amounts of money flowing to campaigns, Pelosi said at her Thursday press briefing.

F*ck you, Nancy! We already saw you at your best with health care! Like f***ing Hell we’re going to let you mess with the First Amendment because anyone with any sense will realize that it’ll just be practice for your attack on the Second.

5
posted on 04/19/2012 2:21:06 PM PDT
by MeganC
(No way in Hell am I voting for Mitt Romney. Not now, not ever. Deal with it.)

Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on Thursday endorsed a movement announced by other congressional Democrats on Wednesday to ratify an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would allow Congress to regulate political speech when it is engaged in by corporations...

The Democrats are just upset that Republicans have decided to play their money grabbing game. Let’s define ALL special interest groups as ‘corporations’ since our system is totally based on ‘Corporatism’.

Corporatism. The name had nothing to do with the notion of a business corporation except that both words are derived from the Latin word for body, corpus.

The basic idea of corporatism is that the society and economy of a country should be organized into major interest groups (sometimes called corporations) and representatives of those interest groups settle any problems through negotiation and joint agreement. In contrast to a market economy which operates through competition a corporate economic works through collective bargaining.

12
posted on 04/19/2012 2:23:30 PM PDT
by griswold3
(Big Government does not tolerate rivals.)

Our local “Occupy” group announced they are picketing city hall to get them to create and sign a document stating “Corporations are NOT people”... you should see the little guys & dolls, bless their hearts, they are so proud of themselves.

Progressive Caucus Declares Support for Constitutional Amendment to Overturn Citizens United

4/18/12

Members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) voted unanimously today to endorse a declaration in support of a constitutional amendment to reverse the Supreme Courts recent Citizens United v. FEC decision.

The CPC, which includes 78 members, is the first Congressional caucus to officially declare support for a constitutional amendment. President Obama, two state legislatures, 1,000 elected officials, more than 150 cities and towns have already expressed support for repealing Citizens United.

The influence of money in politics is the single biggest threat to our democracy, said Rep. Keith Ellison, Co-Chair of the CPC. In this election cycle alone, Super PACs have raised almost $160 million and spent close to $90 million. And we still have six months until the election. Corporations are not people. And in America, democracy should never, ever be for sale.

This isnt just about elections  its about the principle that America is run by the people, not just the rich and powerful, said CPC Co-Chair Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva. Giving corporations the authority to buy elections is a step well regret for decades to come, and I join the American people in saying its time we stopped this power grab.

The text of the declaration is included below:

We declare our support for amending the Constitution of the United States to restore the rights of the American people, undermined by Citizens United and related cases, to protect the integrity of our elections and limit the corrosive influence of money in our democratic process.

Unions would be EXEMPT from the restrictions. Conservative non-profits, like the NRA, would be BANNED from speech, but liberal ones, like PETA or the ACLU, would be grandfathered, under exemptions granted by the National Commissar for Communications.

Look, this isn’t a suprise - these people hate the Constitution and the limits it puts on them, and they just want to tear it down. They’re banking on the SCOTUS going liberal at some point and at that point their laws that will demolish it will be declared constitutional.

Which is why Obama can’t get back in in 2012.

3-4 justices are going to die or retire. we have to have someone in there that won’t offer up moderates or liberals.

36
posted on 04/19/2012 3:25:04 PM PDT
by Secret Agent Man
(I'd like to tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.)

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